I Was Asleep When My Dear Friend Passed

I remember my old Combermerian schoolmate

Who loved to argue and would fervently debate

And had a gift to candidly recall

Specifics we’d forgotten, he remembered them all

A long time ago we entered the Waterford School

Some of us were nervous but he remained cool

Like he knew he was just taking another step

Exceptionally calm and one day after prep

Even though we’d not been introduced, he came to me

Politely exchanged details and from that day we

Were more than classmates we became friends

He demonstrated very maturely that his path depends

Everyday on the careful and calm steps he makes

Not on the blunders but how he rose from his mistakes

More mature than any other boy in the classes

Yet he respected the opinions of us lowly masses

Didn’t play many games his focus was the literary

Education was like a food he gormandized lavishly

And my friend had a voice to sing

Really perfect pitch and an ear accurate as a violin’s string

For our youthful years we sung in the choir

Refrains like the Jonah Man Jazz to our hearts desire

I remember chasing him on the pasture until I lost my wind

Every boy looking on couldn’t believe the stamina of one so thin

No one had any doubts at all he would achieve

Dreams he realized because he chose to believe

People were his commitment and politics his life

And Family First he started with his adoring wife

So many were blessed by my friend and I  especially so

Shared mutual respect and admiration and was glad to know

Each other, but I didn’t hear his call this morning or what he had to say

Didn’t know because I Was Asleep When My Dear Friend Passed away

A Sympathy Card